Big Brother is an American reality competition series based on the Dutch format created by John de Mol Jr. and Ron Diesel, which premiered on CBS on July 5, 2000. The show isolates a group of "HouseGuests" in a custom-built home under constant video and audio surveillance, where they compete for a cash prize while navigating social dynamics. After the first season's public-voting format drew negative reviews and low ratings, the show was revamped in Season 2 to focus on strategic gameplay, where contestants compete in challenges like Head of Household to earn power and then vote to evict each other. The winner, determined by a jury of evicted HouseGuests, now takes home $750,000 (up from $500,000 in Season 23), while the runner-up receives $75,000. Named after the totalitarian figure in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the series has become the longest-running adaptation in the franchise, with its 28th season—featuring the 1,000th episode—premiering on July 9, 2026.